Swab.



H. DE L. RAPSON.

SWAB.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1912.

1,047,703, I Patented Dec. 17,1912.

v 3mm MM mam. de

, RArsoN, citizen of the UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE;

- HOBART DE LANOEY RAPSON,

or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWAB.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOBART DE LANCEY United, States, and resident of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Swabs, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention isto provide a construction of toilet swab suitable for.

and other uses, such that the swab, a ter use, may be readily disengaged from the handle or holder and disintegrate in the water so as to be carried ofi' with the under-drainage to the sewer without danger of clogging the pipes.

My object isfurther, to provide a form househojl d of swab which for sanitary reasons need be used but once and not require handling after use.

My invention consists of a toilet swab formedof long strips or strands of paper (preferably such as toilet paper), secured together by a detachable binder (preferably of similar paper) which, upon becoming wet, will readily unbind and free the strips or strands so that they and the binder means may pass into the sewer pipes without dan ger of clogging them when flushing the closet- My invention also consists-of a swab of the aforesaid construction combined with a detachable holder arranged for releasing the swab after use and without the necessity of directly handling it. Y

My invention also comprehends details of construction which, together with the features above specified, will be better understood by reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a toilet swab embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sealed, preferably by a weak paste 6. The

but may, if desired, be

suitable material.

paper employed is preferably similar in general texture to that used in toilet papers,

Not only are the strands 2 preferably made of tissue paper, but the binder may be ,also

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 17, 1912. Application filed September 17, 1912. -Beriai1io. 720,785.

of another grade. 1

formed of paper of the same character,

though I do notllimit myself in this respect. The swab strands may be bound together in any suitable manner, so long as free ends or loose portions 7 and 8 are provided and the binding union will become free upon being subjected to the dissolving-action of the water into which the swab is-discharged after use. In the preferredform of my swab I employ paper strands or strips of substantially uniform length and compress them together at their middle portions 4 and wrap thisportion with a wrapper 5 of tissue paper, holding the wrapper in place by a small quantity of paste 6. The portions 7 and 8 of the paper strands or strips are loose .or'yieldingand form bushy parts to the swab for cleansing purposes, the swab beingheld at the bound portion by means of a suitable handle or holder.

To improve the sanitary conditions by the use of my improved swab, I .may provide any number or portions of the strands with a disinfectant such as carbolic acid or other Such strands or strips are indicated at 3 in Figs. 1 and 2. It is evident that, if preferred, the binding means for holding the strips or strands may be located anywhere along the length of the strands, instead of at the middle, but in all cases it is preferable that it should be of a character which will dissolve in water sufliciently to liberate the strands.

In Fig. 3, I have shown one form of detachable handle 9 for temporarily holding the swabs in use. Thiscon'sists of a handle part 10 having the two spring jaws 11 at the bottom, said jaws adapted to clamp and hold the bound portion 4 of the swab, leaving the bushy ends 7 and 8 free for swabbing purposes. The jaws 11 may be forced together upon the swab bythe sliding part 12, arranged about them and moved up or down by the extension 13 guided on the handle and arranged to be operated at a distance from the swab. When the part 12 is pushed down, the swab is fast in the jaws and may be moved by the handle, but when the part 12 is,drawn up the jaws 11, under spring action, separate and permit the swab to drop into the bowl and water therein. Any other suitable form of detachable'handle may be employed in lieu of that shown.

It will be understood that the strips may be of various widths, but I prefer that they shall be reasonably narrow so as to provide the bushy portions 7 and S; and it will be within the scope of my invention that the said strips be secured together in any manner, so long as th are attached for a small portion only of their length to present free or yielding portions and in a detachable manner made efiect-ive by immersion in water.

While I have shown my invention in the form I prefer, I do not restrict myself to the details, as these may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what 7 i d l I claim as' 'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. As an article of manufacture, a toilet swab consisting of alarge number of paper strips dctachably bound together for a portion of their length by a binder so united as to be removed'by water so as to release the strips. I

2. As an article of manufaeture, a toilet swab consisting of paper presenting a large number of freely movable port-ions and said paper bound for a portion of its length by a binder of paper wrapped about it and so united with paste as to release itself by the dissolving action of water.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

H. DE LANGEY RAPSON.

Witnesses:

R. M. KELLY, E. W. SMrrH. 

